Setting priorities in health: a study of English primary care trusts

A national study into how decisions about NHS resource allocation have been made by primary care trusts (PCTs) has been carried out by the Nuffield Trust, and the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham. The financial challenge facing the NHS in the coming years will mean difficult decisions will have to be made about how and where NHS resources are used. The proposed new clinical commissioning groups can learn from the experiences of PCTs in relation to priority setting. A summary document has also been produced, containing additional commentary by the Nuffield Trust. This can be purchased at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/setting-priorities-in-health-the-challenge-for-clinical-commissioning/17152483?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1 Further copies of both the summary and full report can be downloaded free of charge from www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/publications